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If Spanish giants Barcelona complete the signing of Nico Williams from Athletic Club, their Brazilian star Raphinha will play in a different position. According to reports from Diario SPORT, manager Hansi Flick could potentially deploy 28-year-old Raphinha in midfield.
A winger by trade, Raphinha enjoyed a stellar campaign during the 2024-25 season. He racked up 34 goals and 25 assists in 57 games, helping the Catalan giants win the domestic treble (LaLiga, Supercopa de Espana, Copa del Rey) and reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
He formed a potent offensive triumvirate alongside Polish marksman Robert Lewandowski and Spanish boy wonder Lamine Yamal. However, he will reportedly have to play in a deeper role if the Blaugrana get a move for Williams over the line.
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The 22-year-old Williams has been impressive for Athletic since his senior debut, with 31 goals and 30 assists in 167 games across all competitions. He is regarded as one of the best wingers in LaLiga and has been linked with a move to Catalonia since the summer of 2024.
As per Diario SPORT (via Barca Universal), Williams and Yamal are set to play on the left and right wings respectively. With Flick looking to make the best use of his incredible work rate, shot power and chance creation, Raphinha will likely take up a role as a roaming midfielder through the middle.
While this change seems to be the ideal way for the German tactician to keep all of Barcelona's star attackers in play, he will certainly face a selection dilemma moving forward. The ramifications of this move on the roles of midfielders like Frenkie De Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez among many others is yet to be revealed.
"I'd love to play with him" - Barcelona star makes claim ahead of Nico Williams' rumored move to Camp Nou
Barcelona star Ferran Torres has claimed that he would 'love to play' alongside forward Nico Williams amid the ongoing transfer rumors.
Torres was a valuable backup for manager Hansi Flick in the 2024-25 season, stepping in whenever called upon and delivering solid performances. Despite starting only 19 of the 45 games he played across all competitions last season, he racked up 19 goals and seven assists.
The 25-year-old, who has made six appearances for the Spanish national team alongside Williams, spoke about the prospect of playing alongside him at club level. In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Torres said (via Sempre Barca h/t Sportskeeda):
"I haven't spoken to him. We ran into each other in Ibiza, but we preferred not to talk about that. All top players want to join big clubs, and Barça is one of them. I don’t know what will happen, but I hope it turns out well. We've already played together for the national team, and I'd love to play with him again — we could form a great trio (alongside Lamine Yamal) if everything falls into place."
Up next, Torres could potentially be seen in action in Barcelona's first pre-season friendly against Japanese side Vissel Kobe on July 27.
